Riley Volunteer Orientation

* 11. Volunteer HIPAA Agreement: Read in full. Check the box below agreeing to abide by the policy or request clarification. 

HIPAA Regulations Reminder
One of the first issues discussed with new team members in orientation is the importance of adhering to the guidelines set forth in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Whether or not a person has previous healthcare experience is irrelevant when it comes to the necessity of keeping these requirements in mind when performing daily tasks.

HIPAA has developed standards for maintenance and transmission of health information that identify individual patients and this information must be protected at every level and in every position. It does not matter if an executive, director, manager, supervisor, coordinator, physician, nurse or a volunteer that violates these expectations; it is grounds for termination of employment or immediate dismissal of your duties.

This letter is to remind all staff members and volunteers to pay attention to the HIPAA policies and requirements set forth by the federal government. Specifically, this relates to issues of associates accessing patient information that they do not have a direct “need to know.”

The HIPAA policies were put in place to protect the privacy of our patients. Anyone who accesses the information outside of their professional capacity is violating our patients’ right to privacy. Patient records within Cerner or other programs are audited randomly or upon complaint of a suspected HIPAA violation. ALL ASSOCIATES who access these records are listed on these audits.

Below are some examples of instances where accessing protected health information will lead to corrective action or termination of employment (termination of volunteer duties):

•           Accessing the information of a fellow IU Health associate to see if they have received care at an IU Health facility and for what they were treated if you do not have a work related reason to access this information.

•           Discussing patient status or talking about patients with coworkers by name in a public area of the hospital.

•           Using IU Health’s computer software to access the health information of one of our VIP patients or another well-known individual when you have no work related reason to access this information.

•           Looking up your own private health information or accessing the information of a relative, friend or neighbor without going through the proper channels. This includes just glancing at the chart to see what tests are being performed or to gather demographic information, such as address and phone number.

•           Discussing the health status of our patients and guests to people outside of the organization that have no reason to learn of this information.

If there is a need to have the private health information of a patient or guest, which an Associate does not have a direct need to know, that person must work with his or her manager or contact Health Information Management to ensure that proper HIPAA procedure is being followed.

Please be mindful of what you access while at work and who you discuss patient information with. It is not the goal of the leadership team to lose associates or volunteers based on something that can easily be fixed. These policies are in place to help you do your job and to ensure that a satisfactory outcome is achieved for all patients.

If you have additional questions about this or other HIPAA requirements, please contact your volunteer manager.